Rod-packing.



PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.

0. R. LAW. ROD PACKING. APPLIOATION mum 0052.10, 1904.

Wim$e6, 1

UNITED STATES Patented March 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROD-PACKING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,867, dated March14, 1905.

Application filed October 10, 1904. Serial 1 To (all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. LAW, a citizen of the United States,residing at Shreveport, in the parish of Caddo andState of Louisiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rod-Packings, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a packing for stuffing-boxes for piston-rods,valve-stems, or any parts requiring a tight joint, whether stationary orhaving a reciprocating, oscillating, rotating, or semirotating motion,the construction being such as to present -a perfect allmetal bearing tothe rod or wearing-surface and at the same time forming a perfectlytight elastic joint upon the Walls of the stuffing-box.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved packing ofthis class characterized by increased simplicity of construction andgreater economy of manufacture.

Another object is to provide a packing which may be applied to the rodtransversely of the latter without requiring the rod to be removed forthe purpose of slipping the packing-ring over the end thereof.

Generally stated, the invention resides in a packing comprising a seriesof packing-rings each formed by a sectional inside portion of suitablecomposition metal bored out to the exact diameter of the rod it isdesired to fit, said ring having preferably a retaining-groove in itsperiphery, approximately at one side thereof, and having the remainderof the periphery beveled or inclined from the inside edge of theretaining-groove inwardly toward the inside diameter or bore of thering, in combination with an outer ring or short cylinder of elasticmaterial, preferably rubber, which may have a tongue fitting into thegroove in the metal ring and which has an inner inclined surface thatconforms closely to the inclined surface of the metal ring, but is notfastened thereto. The rubber is so de- In the manufacture of the ringsthe metallic section is divided into any suitable number of parts,leaving the periphery of the rubber cylinder intact, and in applying thepacking to the rod the rubber is cut opposite one of the points ofdivision of the metal ring, the rubber at the remaining point or pointsof division acting as a hinge and permitting the packing to be readilyopened and spread over the rod transversely of the latter for thepurpose of its insertion into the stuffing-box. The rings are applied insuch a manner as to bring similar faces in contact, and the series ofrings are compressed by the gland, so as to force the metal sectionsinwardly upon the rod and the elastic sections outwardly against thewalls of the stuffing-box.

My invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate a preferred mechanical embodiment thereof,and in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the completestuffing-box applied to the rod. Fig. 2 is a face view of one side ofthe packing-rings, the relative joints of the next adjacent rings beingindicated by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the opposite faceof the ring, and Fig. 4c is a view illustrating the mode of applicationof the ring to the rod.

Referring to the draw' igs, 5 designates the stuffing-box, 6 the rod, 7the gland, and 8 and 9 the glandtightening bolts and nuts, respectively, these parts being all as usual in rod packings.

1O designates as an entirety the inner metallic portion of thepacking-ring, which may be of Babbitt metal or any other soft composition metal recognized as suitable for metallic packings. This ringis formed in a series of sections, (three being herein shown anddesignated 10, 10", and 10, respectively.) The outer periphery of theringlO has formed therein, preferably to one side of the longitudinalcenter of the ring, an annular groove 11, while the opposite half of itsperiphery is formed with a beveled or inclined surface 12, extendinginwardly at any suitable angle toward the inner periphery of the ring.Surrounding the ring 10 is an external ring or short cylinder of elasticmaterial, preferably rubber, (designated by 13.) This ring has aninternal annular tongue 14:, which fits in the groove 11 of the metallicring. The narrower face 13 of the ring 13 just beyond the tongue lies'l'lush with the adjacent face of the inner ring, as clearly shown inFig. 1, while the opposite wider face 13"projects somewhat beyond theadjacent face of the inner ring. Preferably, and as shown at 15 in Fig.2, the radial cuts of the inner metallic ring are extended some distanceinto the thicker beveled portion of the rubber ring to render the lattermore readily expansible for purposes of application to the rod; but thisis not essential, and for purposes of application to the rod without thenecessity of slipping the ring over the end of the red the outer ring iscut entirely through radially at a point 16 in line with one of theradial cuts of the inner ring.

The tongue of the outer elastic cylinder is inserted into the groove ofthe inner ring, being retained therein either by clamping or a suitablecement, and in applying the rings to the rod the former is expanded andopened at the radial division-point 16 sufliciently to admit the rodtherethro ugh in the manner clearly indicated in Fig. i. The rings areapplied in such a manner as to bring the metal faces together and therubber faces together,as clearly shown in Fig. l. The first ring isinserted in the box with the rubber side first, the rubber forming ajoint upon the inside wall of the box, and the remaining rings are theninserted with their metal and rubber faces first alternately. The ringsare also so disposed as to cause the radial divisions to break joints ina manner common with all sectional ring-packing, as indicated in Figs. 2and 3. A sufljcient number of rings being inserted in the box, the glandis then inserted and the packing compressed by the tightening of theglandbolts in the usual manner. The compression of the gland uponthepacking forces the rubber up the inclined surfaces of the sectionalmetal rings, forming a tight joint upon the walls of the stullingbox andat the same time forcing the metal sections inwardly with equaleliectiveness upon the rod.

1 am aware that it is old in rod-packings to employ a series ofpacking-rings each composed of an inner soft-metal member and asurrounding elastic member; but so far as 1 am aware the constructionand relative arrangement of these parts su bstantiall y as herein shownand described is novel and productive of a highly-efiicientstul'ling-box having a minimum of parts and extreme simplicity andconvenience of application.

1 claim- 1. In a rod-packing, the combination with a stuffing-box andcompressing-gland, ofaseries of packing-rings each comprising an innersoft-metal member and an outer elastic member interlockingly engagedwith and connected to said inner member, said inner and outer membersunitedly constituting a unitary and independent packing-ring,substantially as described.

2. In a rod-packing, the combination with a stufling-box andcompressing-gland, of a series of fiat-faced packing-rings each comprising an inner soft-metal member and an outer elastic memberinterlockingly engaged with and connected to said inner member, saidinner and outer members having flat, beveled, annularcontacting-surfaces and unitedly constituting a unitary and independentpackingring, substantially as described.

In a rod-packing, the combination with a stufling-box. andcompressing-gland, of a series of packing-rings each comprising asectional inner ring of soft metal having a beveled periphery and anouter ring or cylinder of elastic material having an internally-beveledperiphery adapted to lit and cooperate with the beveled periphery ofsaid inner ring, said outer ring being cut through radially in line withone of the divisions of the inner ring and being also partially cutthrough in line with the other divisions of the inner ring,substantially as described.

4:. In a rod-packing, the combination with a stufting-box andcompfessing-gland, of a series of packing-rings each comprising asectional inner ring of soft metal having one side of its peripherybeveled. and an outer ring or cylinder of elastic material internallyformed to fit the periphery of the inner ring, said outer ringorcylinder being flush with the inner ring on the straight side of theperiphery of the latter and on its opposite side projecting beyond thebeveled side of the inner ring, said rings being arranged in thestufling-box with their flush surfaces in contact with each other andwith the projecting faces of the outer rings in contact with each other,substantially as described.

CHARLES R. LAlV.

W itncsses:

J. l). W lnxmson, B. DILLINGHAM.

